When the Chicago Cubs made the announcement that they were optioning Kyle Schwarber to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, there were mixed reviews and perspectives, but ultimately not a ton of surprise. When you’re off to a start that features a .171 batting average and an on-base percentage under .300, it’s reasonable to have the expectation […]
Author: Randy Holt
Anthony Rizzo: Leadoff Experiment Should Be More Than That
In search of a spark for what has been a relatively stagnant offense for the majority of 2017, Joe Maddon made waves last week when he inserted his slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo into the top spot in the batting order against the New York Mets. What has ensued has been an offense that, while […]
Jon Jay: Everyday Starter in the Outfield?
When the Chicago Cubs signed Jon Jay early in the offseason, the idea of him grabbing anything more than a role as a fourth outfielder was…unappealing. A few months later, it’s still a rather sobering thought, albeit under entirely different circumstances. With the Cubs getting so little production from so many essential parts of their […]
Where Is Jason Heyward’s Optimal Batting Position?
Lineup construction certainly stands as one of the more heavily analyzed elements of Major League managers, and there’s probably an argument to be made somewhere that it’s also a largely overrated element. (Aside: I’m not saying that’s a sentiment that I share, as I put quite a bit of stock into that aspect, but it […]
Kris Bryant’s Approach Continues to Evolve
Before the spring exhibition season began, we looked at Kris Bryant’s desire to take the ball to the opposite field with more frequency. Having already turned in historically good rookie and sophomore campaigns, it seemed there were few adjustments left that he could make in order to become an offensive force out of the third base […]
Jason Heyward Is Who We Thought He Was
It’s easy to understand why people with North Side loyalties are conflicted when broaching the subject of Jason Heyward. On one hand, it’s easy to get excited about everything he does well offensively because there was such limited success on that side in 2016. On the other, there’s the snakebitten element of him, as seemingly every […]
I Can’t Help Falling In Love With Ian Happ
It’s a tendency of every fanbase—nothing unique to those on the North Side—to want to cling to every top prospect within the organization, regardless of the potential prize associated with surrendering one or many of them. Even if one could make the argument that it’s a tendency that just happens to be at least slightly […]
The Inevitable Progression of Anthony Rizzo
Anyone who has watched the Cubs in recent weeks has been likely found themselves fueled by a certain degree of frustration. In some cases, it’s underperforming expectations. In others, it’s not even a performance issue necessarily, but more of a general baseball issue, in that it’s not always the fairest of games. Sometimes, even for […]
Where Should Cubs’ Starting Pitching Concerns Be Focused?
The Chicago Cubs are not in a good place right now. They’re under .500, and there isn’t an area of the game in which anyone can declare that they’re actually excelling at this point. Despite some solid individual offensive and defensive performance, they haven’t put things together as a group in either respect. Same goes […]
Trying to Find Balance of Perspective in the Cubs’ Uneven Start
Friday’s 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals notwithstanding, there’s a lot of frustration in tuning into Chicago Cubs baseball early in 2017. A team that looks like world beaters at times, only to drop five of six to the Yankees and Rockies over the past week, there’s clearly much to be sorted out with […]